Ep 42: "Waffleopolis"

As usual, the group went about their mornings before some of them met up for the lunch date. Owen went to the Divine Foundry and commissioned a metal, chain net from Afra. Mari met with Haley and they discussed the Dawn District’s need for leadership as tempers there had been flaring. Nathan went to the Divine Foundry to inquire about armor and Afra gave him a set of studded leather armor to borrow, but made him promise to return it. Primeheart tended to his flowers at the Tea Garden and then went to the Brell Estate to tend the shrine he had made. Oisin slept in after the previous day’s events, then spent time trying to reassure Pinból that they would not come home bloody again.

Finkoo spent his morning at the Greasers’ Union and was approached by Tirah. She had information and insight on the mission they would be given that day. She let him know that Zreet was going to inform the group to use a waterway rather than a hallway. This wasn’t a good idea though and she recommended using the hallway. She told him that there was something potentially more dangerous in the water. Finkoo took this to heart and went to meet the others at the safe house.

The party met and discussed the previous day’s events. Primeheart and Owen assured the others that they would both keep the party safe with their healing abilities. Zreet appeared and informed the group that they would not be going into the Undermyst that day. Instead they were to head to the underground crypts beneath the King’s castle.

Primeheart confessed that he was uncomfortable with enclosed spaces, a feeling which Oisin also shared. Zreet did little to calm their concerns when she told the group what they were to retrieve. This time the group had to acquire grave dirt from the King’s own coffin.

They would meet the new Keeper, whom they had helped place by eliminating his predecessor,  and be lead down a staircase to the sub-basement. There would be a long hallway that was full of dangers and an alternate route that would take them passed an underground lake. She told them that the lake was supposed to be safer. They were to get a large jar’s capacity of the grave dirt.

As they made their way toward the castle, the group talked about the plan and the upcoming anniversary. Finkoo shared Tirah’s advice to Owen and he then informed the rest of the party. Primeheart and Mari were both young teenagers in Farbrook when the refugees from the Leviathan attack came to the village and the two of them spent the following days healing the wounded and lending sympathy to those who lost loved ones. Mari confessed that she shared his trauma over the events. She felt that kids, like they had been, shouldn’t have had to deal with such a tragedy. Primeheart then talked to Nathan about the shrine he had created for the fallen Brell family members. He told Nathan that he did it because Nathan was his friend and he cared.

Nobody bothered the party as they made their way over the bridge to the castle. There, they were met by a portly half-elf with a face partially melted by acid. He thanked them for giving him his new job and lead them down a not-so-sturdy wooden staircase.

Once inside the sub-basement crypts, Finkoo scouted ahead with Mari on his shoulder in cat-form. When they reached the lake, Primeheart tested the waters with a Light-touched rock, but it had little effect. Owen shot a crossbow bolt into the water, and noted that it seemed to float at the surface strangely as it hit the water further away than the rock had. Nathan sent Teague, his pseudodragon, to scout over the water. Still, little could be determined.

At this point, Finkoo noticed a tapestry that seemed to be adhered organically to the wall over a door. He brought the rest of the party over as the path looked clear. Oisin used his innate ability to detect magic and noted a trace of essence that quickly vanished. Around the room, each person was overcome with a sense of unease which passed gradually.

Teague utilized its blindsight to sense any invisible creatures and was attacked by an armored, skeletal entity with a pike. The small pseudodragon was instantly vanquished. A battle ensued and Primeheart dealt the ending blow with primal savagery.

Nathan saw that the tapestry was billowing and he used his Burning Hands spell to burn it. As it burned, it expanded into a strange creature. It consisted of four skulls surrounded by four wings of cloth and resembled a sort of nightmarish butterfly.

An intense fight broke out with Oisin tossing the chain net over the creature and Owen heating the metal with sonorous ululation while the rest attempted to deal blows from behind cover. Primeheart was able to squelch its regenerating ability with his spirit guardian, a sprite within a field of wheat stalks, and soon after succeeded in dispatching the undead monster.

The party made it the rest of the way through the basement, overcoming many smaller encounters. They finally arrived at the coffin and Primeheart used his shovel to dig up a sufficient enough amount of grave dirt. The party made their way back out of the crypts and passed their acquisition on to Zreet. Finkoo made a point of returning to the Greasers’ Union and thanking Tirha for her insight.

The party went to Stroop’s Nesting Waffle and were introduced to the concept of a cityscape made of waffles called the Waffleopolis. The party chose to order that and eat it as a group. Within one of the sample waffle houses, a voice was heard and the party was introduced to a tiny grey imp with a wrench. He introduced himself as Mr. Binx and said that he was Nathan’s new familiar. The Patron wasn’t happy with Nathan’s inability to keep a familiar alive, so they sent Binxie instead.